Reviewed
by: Pete
Barber
Genre: Science
Fiction
Approximate
word count: 15,000-20,000 words
Availability
Click
on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
Smashwords store
Author:
Born in 1983, Ian Quin is a disabled
American who lives in the Louisville metropolitan area. He is a graduate of
Indiana University and is currently self-employed.
As a long-time fan of science fiction and
horror stories, Ian tries to create the types of stories that he, himself,
would like to read. The end result is always something very personal and
meaningful to him, but hopefully also something that others can appreciate as
well. Advancement of the Species is
his debut novella. For more information, go to his website.
Description:
Earth’s inhabitants are being monitored by the
Overseers. One of these all-powerful beings identifies Rodney as a person who
may finally break the human race from its cycle of fighting and destruction.
Appraisal:
Rodney is certainly an unlikely candidate to pick as
the savior of Earth. He’s twenty-something, overweight, unemployed, and
mentally challenged with ADD and Tourette syndrome. His father died a few
months after Rodney’s eighteenth birthday, leaving Rodney in the care of his alcoholic
mother.
Rodney’s dead-end life changes when he happens on a
book of philosophy mysteriously placed on the shelf of the local grocery store.
The author of the book, Doctor Krokulf, telephones
Rodney and invites him to meet at a designated place six hours drive from
Rodney’s home. Rodney has never heard of the doctor, nor has he ever travelled
that far from home, but he feels driven to follow through.
When he arrives at Vennskap Valley, he finds a secret
society whose citizens live a seemingly Utopian lifestyle with advanced
technology and a focus on human betterment through education. All of the
citizens of the Valley are outcasts from society due to physical or mental
handicaps. The story tells how Rodney copes with, and finally understands his
role in this new society.
This is a fun, fast read. The writing style is
simplistic and direct, which fits well with Rodney’s character. There’s no time
to fill in details about how things can exist as they are portrayed, and
really, there’s no need.
The Overseers pop in and out of the story with
anecdotal references relating Rodney’s actions to other members of the animal
kingdom.
And the story does have a twist in the tail.
Format/Typo
Issues:
Too few to mention.
Rating:
**** Four stars
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